The GOOD summer day
by gemma
Summary: This is my first Potter fic. After reading quite a few fics, this idea came to mind. I haven't seen it done yet, and if it has, I haven't read it, so I can't be copying :) I know, sounds like a dumb title, but I thing this one is a bit different. :)
1. Am I dreaming?

**The GOOD summer day**  
By [Gemma_@SoftHome.net][1]

Notes:_ After reading quite a few fics, this idea came to mind. I haven't seen it done yet, and if it has, I haven't read it, so I can't be copying :) I know, sounds like a dumb title, but I thing this one is a bit different. :) Takes place after book four. I don't own anything._

Part one - Am I dreaming?

Birds chirped merrily outside Harry Potter's window on number four Privet Drive. He paid them no mind, not feeling nearly as cheerful. It was another horrible day, a horrible summer day, and he was far away from Hogwarts. He turned over in his bed, and pulled the blanket over his head. He was far away from his friends, Quidditch, and anything else good in his life. 

The birds reminded him of something . . . what was it?

"Its late!" He yelled out, springing upright, and tearing out of bed without bothering to put his glasses on. It meant it was late getting up, and if he didn't get up early his Uncle would skin him alive if he didn't get the long list of chores . . . Harry tripped over his own feet on the way to the closet. He growled, and picked himself up. It was the not the first time this week he had fallen flat on his face. He seamed to be doing it a lot lately, he felt as if furniture, plants, an any other non-moving objects had suddenly started doing so. He knew it was more than his growing up that accounted for it, wearing Dudley's old three size too large hand-me-down shoes didn't help.

He stopped at the closet door, and looked at a huge black blurry thing . . . Were had it come from, what was it? Remembering he forgot his glasses, he picked them up from the nightstand and put them on. 

Harry gasped in shock. 

It was a huge seven-foot tall cage, complete with its own food and water bin. Hedwig was perched inside with a head under his wing. As he walked over Hedwig woke up and gave him a very cheerful hoot. 

"Were did it come from?" puzzled, he opened the cage door, and Hedwig hopped out onto the top of the door. "Well I bet you're happy, but this doesn't make sense . . ." His voice trailed off as he noticed the rest of the room. 

It was no longer the drab white, but deep blue like the near night sky after sunset. The ceiling was covered in pail stars. It reminded him of the ceiling in the grand hall at Hogwarts. A poster was on the wall with the English Quidditch team. There was a bookcase filled with very non-muggle books. And a neat desk piled with schoolbooks, a quill, and what looked like to be near complete homework . . . 

"I am dreaming!" It just couldn't be right. Were had all this stuff come from? Had he done a spell in his sleep to make this appear? No he thought, it just couldn't be right. If by chance he had there would be a owl from school at his window to greet him with a letter. 

But what was it then that had transformed his room?

"Maybe the Dursleys wouldn't notice?" He said out loud . . . But he knew the odds of that were pretty slim. His Aunt riffled thought his stuff every chance she got. "They're going to think I stole it all . . ." 

He threw up his arms with a sigh, and decided to get dressed. Despite the change in his room, he knew he had better get down stairs. He opened his closet and gasped at the large selection of robes neatly hanging there. 

"Robes, IN the closet?" His Aunt Petunia insisted all his school stuff must kept in his trunk.

Shaking his head, he looked to the back and found several shirts and pairs of pants, also neatly hanging. He grabbed the first ones closet to him, and put them on. 

"They fit!" They were not more of Dursleys cast off, but new clothing that fit him exactly. He finished off with his shoes, which also fit him. "This is starting to scare me!"

He went down stairs, and paused at the kitchen door, not sure what to do. Just as he reached out to the door it flew open. His Aunt Petunia was on the other side.

"Harry!"

"Uh . . . I . . . Sorry, didn't mean . . ."

She shook her head. "Your breakfast is getting cold, hurry up." She said, and walked past him. 

How dose grapefruit get cold? Maybe a bit warm, but cold? He thought. Dudley was still on his diet, which meant everyone else was too. Harry's breakfast all summer had consisted of a single grapefruit wedge. He did know however, it may not be much but it was better than nothing. If he didn't get in there soon Dudley would finish his breakfast as well. 

Harry rushed inside, and came to a halt on the other side of the door and gasped.

"Uncle Vernon, Dudley? He said without thinking. They both looked up from the table. They were both several hundred pounds lighter. . .

"Good morning Harry." They both wished him. 

Dudley said pointing to a basket on the table, "I saved the rest of the biscuits for you Harry,"

His Uncle set aside the paper and smiled at Harry. "Sleep well? I hope your not staying up too long studding your magick homework. You work much too hard for your own good. At this rate you'll graduate highest in your class. I am so proud of you . . ."

Harry fainted.

_This is part one of five. Part two - 'Back to reality - for a little while,' coming very soon.This is my first Potter fic, please PLEASE let me know what you think! Sorry for the shortness. I could have added more, but I felt it would have taken away, not really add more. The other four parts will be longer._

   [1]: mailto:Gemma_@SoftHome.net



	2. Back to reality, for a little while . . ...

**The GOOD summer day**  
By [Gemma_@SoftHome.net][1]

_Notes: Thank you so very much for your reviews for part one! Your kindness is just what I needed to continue working on this. It's been so much fun to write so far. One note on the typos and blatant writers errors: I should have said something about in the first part; I am posting this cold without a beta reader. Mine went off to a topical island or something and didn't take me. I did run part one and two thought MS Word 97 grammar and spell check. It only shows that a computer isn't the same at a human. *Grin* I have made every attempt on my own to catch them all, but like always some slip by. I am sorry about that. When I get done posting them all I will gather them back up, do a re edit, and re post them as one full story. This story takes place after book four. I don't own anything._

**Part two - Back to reality, for a little while . . .**

"I knew it! I just knew it! Its all that work he's be doing." Harry heard someone say. It seamed so far away, almost like a dream. 

'_Yes, that's is a dream. Any minute I'll wake up to Dudley sitting on my chest pounding on my head . . ._'

"Dudley, move back, he needs air." His Uncle said.

_ 'Her it comes . . ._'

"Its all that studying, trying so hard to make his par -" His Uncle said.

Harry's eyes flew open. Over him were his Aunt and Uncle and Dudley looking down at him. He was sitting in a chair in the kitchen. Their looks of complete worry told him he was still in the twilight zone. Just to make sure he asked them if he was in trouble. His Aunt gasped,

"No! Never Harry, my dear. It must have been when I bumped into, did I hit you with the door?? Oh I hope not. Vernon, we should take him to the hospital! He may have a concussion! Oh Oh . . ." She broke out into a sob.

'_Maybe I did hit my head, or maybe they all did?_' Harry couldn't help thinking. "I'm fine, really." He said quickly. Despite all that the Dursleys had done to him, he couldn't make them feel guilty. They looked so - normal, in an un-normal way. He desided to play along till he figured out why the whole world had gone crazy. "I'm fine. I was working with a position before I came down, its homework, and Its a sleeping potion. I must have got a whiff of it. See, I'm fine, really!" He sat up.

They all looked at him doubtfully. Uncle Vernon finaly came around and grabbed his shoulder. "Well, if Harry says that all it was, than that's good for me! Just be a bit more careful, okay? You could have taken a tumble down the stairs!"

'_I think I'm going to be ill. This is too strange . . ._'

Aunt Petunia dabbed at her eyes with a hanky. 'Harry, would you like breakfast? I'll make some fresh for you; this is much too cold. Harry watched as she took away a heaping plate of all kinds of good things to eat. "Nothing but the best for my children!" She declared, milling around the kitchen. "Oh, and help yourself to the biscuits and honey on the table. I know you must be starved."

'_She doesn't know the half of it! Or at the very least she should._'

"Oh Dudley dear, would you fetch out the grape Jelly? Harry likes that better. Oh dear, oh dear! I should have thought about that and set it out sooner!"

"Sure Mum." Dudley said getting into the cupboard. He set the jar down in front of Harry with a grin. "Everything set for today?" He asked Harry. Having no idea what his cousin was talking about, he just nodded. Dudley smile broadened. "Great!"

'_Maybe there trying to kill me by shock?_' He thought, then wondered about the grape jelly. He had never had any before, he wasn't alowed. He split open a biscut and smeared some on. Taking a small bite he realised he did like it, a lot. Before Harry would wolf down the biscuit, his Aunt set down a plate that even he didn't think he could finish.

"Wow!" was all he could manage before he tore in. 

As he ate, he couldn't help but think about the strangeness of his situation. What could do this? Barring himself, or the Dursleys going insane . . . It had to be magic, but why? He was sure he couldn't have done it. In the past when he was younger he had made small things happen, normally when he was upset, or really wanted something . . . but this had to be more than that. He was sure it had to be the work of a powerful witch of wizard. But who and why? A wizard like Dumbledore would never do anything like this. The laws prohibiting magical dealings with Muggles unless absolutely necessary were quite strict. And Voldemort and his followers wouldn't ever do anything so nice. Who else could it be then? Dobby? No never, this kind of power is beyond an house elf. Sirius perhaps? Yes, maybe. He's wanted by the law. One more thing wouldn't do any more harm . . . Maybe it was an early birthday present?

Dudley asking to be excused from the table interrupted Harry in his thinking. It was his asking that shocked him. As he left he winked to Harry and left the room. "I'll be upstairs in my room Harry." He called out over his shoulder.

'_Maybe it was Voldemort, and he's hoping all this good treatment will drive me insane?_'

"Harry did you see the robes I hung up in your closet?"

"Uh?" Harry sputtered. 'Uh yes . . . thank you."

"Your Uncle and I have talked about it, and decided you can wear them, but only inside, and out in the back yard. I know how your school is with keeping such things hidden. I hope that's okay? And as for your broom, you can show it to Dudley in the back yard, but you can't fly here. You will have to wait till later today when I take you to Cricket park, its a week day, and there are places there quite out of the way so no one will see you."

Harry wore the expression many deer do when caught by the head light beams of an oncoming car at night.

"Harry? Oh Harry! We do this only to protect you; we don't want you getting into trouble with your school. It would be just horrible . . ."

"Yes, that school was the best thing that ever happened to you Harry, we don't want to throw that away." His Uncle added.

Finaly Harry snapped out of the daze he was in. "Show Dudley my broom?"

"Why yes of course! He's been talking about it all week. Remember once you got all your homework done you would have the time to show him?" His Aunt said.

"Show Dudley my broom!" He repeated.

"Oh Harry please, it's all he has been talking about."

'_Maybe I should figure in my own insanity into how this day came to be?_'

Both his Aunt and Uncle were looking at him with a pleading look.

"Uh well, sure. Can't let him down."

"Wonderful" Uncle Vernon boomed, setting aside his paper. "I am off to work. I'll be home at six." He picked up his brief case and headed for the door. Good bye everyone! Bye Harry!" He smiled, "Bye Dudley!" He called up stairs.

"'Bye Dad!" Dudley called.

Breakfast was gone, and Harry was quite stuffed. 

"Maybe you would like to invite that friend of yours, that charming child of the Weasleys?"

'_Charming?_'

"You mean Ron?"

"Yes, yes, that's his name. You don't have him over nearly enough. Why not this afternoon when we go to the park?"

"Uh sure . . ."

"You can use the floo powder stuff you set by the fireplace . . . I never did like that stuff, always feel as if you will get burned on the way there or back." She commented, picking up his plate. "Was that enough? I can cook you a bit more, only take a minute -"

"Uh, oh, no thank you, I'm full. Couldn't eat another bite." 

She smiled. "Good."

Harry got up from the table and went to the living room to get away from the strangness he had seen so far. Sure enough, there was a pot of floo powder, the fireplace was not boarded up with a roaring fire, so he could use it. Harry took up a pinch, remembering what he had been told before. _Think of a place strongly, pitch the powder into the fire and call out were you want to go_. He fixed his mind on the Weasley's home, but before he tossed in the powder a thought hit him, what if everything is working on reverse, the Dursleys nice, the Weasleys not nice? He tossed that idea aside, it just couldn't be! He threw the floo powder into the fire and called out, "The Burrow!"

With a poof he was gone.

The first thing Harry saw as he stepped out of the fireplace was entire Weasley clan gathered around the table having breakfast. 

Ron leaped up. "Harry! What's wrong? Did you run away again??"

"Harry! Ms Weasley said jumping up and running over to him. "Did they hurt you, are you okay? How did . . ." It was to hear her the entire chorus of voices asking if he was okay.

'_Well at least everything here is still normal._'

"Yes, yes, I am fine." Ms Weasley ushered him over to the table and found him a chair.

"You must be starved." And started dishing him out food.

"No, no thank you, really I already ate - at the Dursleys."

"I know what that woman calls breakfast! Your must too polite Harry, here have -"

"No really, let me explain." Harry told them his story. 

When he got to the part about breakfast Ms Weasley put her hand on his head, "you must be ill, its living in that rat trap of a room they make you live in -"

"No no really! I know this sounds crazy, I can't figure it out myself, but its true I tell you. Look at what I am wearing! I have shoes that fit me for the first time in my life. At least I think they do, I never had a pair that did to compare." He slid away from the table and held out a foot to prove his point. "They are from them! You should see my room, is incredible! And they are really being nice!"

They all wore the same deer-in-a-headlights look he had not long before. George and Fred both held a fork of food half way to their mouth, staring at him.

"I'm not making this up!" He insisted.

"No, no I am sure you didn't Harry, but it seams to hard to believe. You are describing the people we met before? They were so so . . ." Mr. Weasley started.

"Rude!" Ms Weasley finished. She then turned to her Husband. "We can't let him go back, sounds like they snapped. It might not be safe."

'_Not sane for being nice? Okay, maybe in this case, yes._'

"Uh, that reminds me, they asked me to come over to ask if Ron could come over for the day. My Aunt wants to take us to the park to play Quidditch." Harry couldn't believe he just said that.

"Hey Dad! I gotta see this! Harry's relatives are being nice!" Ron said with a grin.

Mr. Weasley thought it over for a minute. 'Well, what do you think?" He asked, turning to his wife.

"I don't want him going alone -"

'Harry will be with me!" Ron said. His Mum shot him a sour look.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Since your nearly late for work, I'll go over with them and see if everything is all right. I must see if this muggle woman is really starting to act normal."

Ron cheered.

"Sounds good. While I am there I have a few things to check into as well. As much as I would hope those muggles are on the right track, this just isn't right, magic must be involved," Mr Weasley said echoing Harry's thought earlier.

Nearly half and hour later Harry, Ron, and His mum stood ready to go back to the Dursleys. Ron had a bag slung over his arm, and his broom in his hand. Harry had seen Fred and George pull Ron aside earlier, and had a bad feeling they might have given him a few things from their joke collection.

"What's in the bag?" Harry asked Ron.

"Oh, just a few things," he said, then changed the subject. "Did your Aunt really ask for me to come over?"

"Yup, to quote her: 'That charming child of the Weasleys.'"

"Child!" Ron growled.

"Charming?" Ms Weasley said, overhearing them. "Now I know something is wrong with that muggle!"

"Mum!"

Before Ron went off any further, Harry suggested they go. One by one they went through the fireplace with floo powder. Harry went last; just before he went through he wondered if everything would be the same back the Dursleys.

_This is part two of five. 'Part three - Dudley on a broom?' coming very soon. This is my first Potter fic, please PLEASE let me know what you think!_

   [1]: mailto:Gemma_@SoftHome.net



	3. Dudley on a broom?

The GOOD summer day  
By [Gemma_@SoftHome.net][1]

_Notes: Hats off to you wonderful people who reviewed the last part! The Mulder/Weasley comparison was hysterical! Just to answer a few questions: NO NO NO NO this will NOT end as a dream! I have been known scream at the end of shows on TV when they pull that. I HATE it, and would never do that to you. Yes and no to writers block, I do have another fic cooking that isn't nearly so funny. I needed a quick kick in the pants to write it, so I decided to do this one first. I wanted to cram it all into one part, but that didn't work out *g*. So, keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing. Sound fair? *g* (That was also a good bit of advice if you want me to shut up :) This story takes place after book four. I don't own anything. Refer to the other parts for notes and such. (That means this one hasn't been beta'd either.)_

_*News flash* My stories AND artwork dedicated to Harry Potter can be found at [SilverSun Hogwarts][2]. The web mistress, Crystal Music, has a great site filled with all original fic and artwork. She had also set up a school there. I'm a member of Hufflepuff. Everyone is welcome to join. See ya in the common room *g*_

**Part three - Dudley on a broom?**

By the time Harry arrived at the other side his Aunt had already met Ms Weasley, and Dudley was already talking to Ron. He watched for a minute, since no one had noticed he had arrived, to see everyone's reaction. He was floored.

His Aunt was having an animated conversation with Ms Weasley. They were swapping stories about the joys of raising wizard children.

Ron was showing Dudley his broom, and telling him about all the different kinds, and which were better . . . 

'I must be insane.' Harry cleared his throat to let everyone know he was there.

"Harry!" He Aunt exclaimed. "There you are, I was afraid you took a detour."

Harry shuttered at that thought. The first time he used floo powder he had done just that, by not saying the name of his destination clearly. "No, I didn't. Is everything okay here?" He finished.

"Sure Harry why wouldn't their be?" His Aunt asked.

Not able to take it any more, this was all just too odd. He felt a bit more brave with Ron and His mum there, that and he had the fireplace to his back if his Aunt went off the wall. "Because the last time the Weasley's came over you yelled at them for the thing about Dudley's tongue."

His Aunt only laughed. "Oh Harry dear, that was only a misunderstanding." She then turned to Ms Weasley, "No hard feelings?"

"Oh no, none at all. I am glad my two boys didn't do any more harm."

Dudley elbowed Ron in the ribs. "You got any more of that stuff? I know a few kids at school I'd love to feed a few of those candies to."

"Now Dudley, you know the rules, no telling anyone about Harry's magical side. That included no magical candy. Do you want to get Harry into trouble?" Harry's Aunt said.

Ron looked over to Harry with a grin, "hey, he's all right!"

Harry groan to himself.

In short order Ron and Dudley had made fast friends. The speed of it kinda scared Harry. What was going on? Before he could say anything they drug him outside so Ron could show Dudley his broom. Harry hung back watching the two boys. He was starting to feel left out, quickly. Even though the broom was a hand-me-down, like everything else Ron owned and quite battered, Dudley was quite impressed with it and told Ron so.

"Oh this thing is nothing, you should compare this to Harry's. His is the best in the world. That thing would stop on a dime." Ron said, turning to Harry. "Hey, why don't you get it so he can see both of them?"

"Uh sure. Can you come with me? I want to show you something in my room."

Leaving Dudley holding Ron's broom, Harry showed Ron to his room. Once they were inside, Harry shut the door behind them and turned to Ron. Before he could ask Ron what the heck he was doing Ron gasped. 

"Wow! You were not kidding! This place is incredible! You think Mum would let me stay the night?" Ron over the contents of Harry's book case. "'Unabridged history of Non muggle England', Hey Hermione was complaining last year that the library at Hogwarts didn't have this one." He looked over the large collection of books. "I think she's give her eye teethe to read some of the stuff you got here!"

"Hermione." Harry said to himself. "I should owl her and ask her over too -"

"You can't, she's visiting, Krum, remember?" Ron said, still looking over Harry's room. His eyes fell on a long leather covered box. "Woah! This is an official version Quidditch set! It's numbered and everything! Where the heck did you -" Ron stopped himself, and looked over at Harry. "Sorry, you don't know were it all came from, right?"

"No - and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Harry said. "I just woke up and here it all was.

"_MMMMMUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!_" They both heard Dudley wail down below and outside. They both dashed to the window in time to see Dudley wiz past - on Ron's broom. He flew past so close he upset Hedwig, who had been setting on the windowsill sleeping.

"Crips!" Ron gasped. They watched in horror as Dudley flew near the tree in the back yard, and right though it. He came out the other side over in leaves . . .

Harry ran over to his Firebolt were it was hanging on the wall and grabbed it. He darted down stairs with Ron following him.

"Ron, Harry!" Ms Weasley called.

"On our way!" Ron called.

Harry ran past his Aunt, only talking mild note at the look of horror on her face. He spotted Dudley who was several yards over, and still flying at quite a speed. He jumped onto is broom and took off. 

With his Firebolt it took him little effort to catch up with Dudley. He was clinging onto the broom, upside down now, screaming as loud as he could. Harry called out at him, but Dudley could not hear him over his own screaming. Not knowing what else to do, he reached out and grabbed the broom's handle. The sudden jolt did catch Dudley's attention.

'Harry save me!" He screamed.

"Hold onto the broom, okay?"

He didn't respond. Harry could see holding on was the least of his problems. "Can you right yourself?" He asked, Dudley shook his head. Harry was puzzled. Why was his Cousin having such a hard time controlling the broom? He then remembered something he had been told several years ago, 'It takes people with magical ability.' That's why the broom had jerked when he took hold of it.

"Of course!" he said out loud. "Keep holding on, I'm going to set us down somewhere, okay?" Dudley was beyond hearing him, he was screaming again. He didn't want to take the chance of going back by broom. Dudley just might fall off, and he didn't want to take the chance of being seen or any more so than they might have been so far. He looked to his right and saw a street. It looks clear, and a good large place to set down. He gripped his broom tightly with his legs, and reached down with his other hand and took a better grip with both hands on Ron's broom. At once he could steer the broom, and they came to a slow stop.

"Were hovering over the ground!" Dudley wailed.

"Hold on!" Harry yelled. He turned both brooms, and made for the street. The last thing he wanted to do was set down in someone's yard with a big pit bull dog or something. He brought them within a few feet on the ground, just hovering over the tarmac.

"You can let go now." He told Dudley, his cousin had closed his eyes . . . Opening now, he looked down, then let go.

With a loud oomph Dudley fell. Harry climbed off his broom and looked down at his Cousin, who had flipped himself over and was kissing the tarmac.

"Next time, don't do that by yourself, okay?" He hoped there wouldn't be a next time, period.

"Thank you! I am so sorry! I was standing on the ground sitting on the broom and it just took off! I don't know why it did, honest!"

Harry sighed; still amazed that Dudley would apologize for anything. "That's okay. No harm done, I think." He slung both brooms over his shoulder, and held out his hand. "We had better get home before Aunt Petunia has a nervous break down." Dudley took his hand and stood up.

"Oh, she's gonna skin me alive . . ." he moaned.

By the time they got home Dudley was laughing over the whole thing. "What I really want to know is how you stay right side up, Once I was up in the air I seamed to flip over at once, and all I could do was hold on . . ."

'And scream for all you were worth!" Harry added.

They both looked at each other, and bust out laughing. Harry marveled at the new Dudley. He was actually easy to get along with.

"Really, I don't know exactly how to tell you how to stay on the broom upright, you just do. I think it has to be with magical ability. Once I got hold of the broom, it was easy to steer it over the ground."

Dudley sighed, "I wish I did."

"Did?" Harry asked, not quite understanding what his Cousin meant.

"Magic. Your so lucky Harry." Dudley said honestly. Harry had no idea how to respond to that, lucky? He wished ten times a day that he was anyone else but himself. But that wasn't really what made him look over to Dudley. It was Dudley who had said that, not a first year from school . . .

"Well, being me isn't all it's cracked up to be." He said quietly.

Dudley didn't hear him; at that moment Aunt Petunia burst out of the house and took Dudley up in her arms. She was sobbing. "Oh my little darling! Your safe."

"Mum . . ." Dudley wined, trying to wriggle out of her tight grip. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Aunt Petunia spotted Harry over Dudley's head and reached out and pulling him into the hug. "Oh my two wonderful boys! You saved him Harry! I knew you would!"

"Mum!" Dudley protested louder, but she paid him to mind, and just held them and cried.

Once Aunt Petunia had calmed down she brought them all back into the house. She was so over-joyed, and dead set on making something sweet for both 'her' boys and her guests she didn't notice Harry sneak off to his room. He set both brooms in the corner, and sat down on his bed. 

He felt numb.

'_She'd knew I save him?_' It was all too much for him. One thing after another, his room, the Dursleys . . . The final blow was the acceptance he had now. He had spent his entire life in this house, with them - using him as a whipping boy. Nothing he did was ever right, nothing! Anything out of place was his fault without question. Once Dudley was old enough to understand the situation he started in on him as well. He knew they hated him, and he accepted it. It was just how it was. Now with start of this odd day the rug had been pulled out from under him. It was as if the law of gravity had been re-written on someone's whim.

For the first time that he could ever remember in his life his Aunt held him. What hurt him the most was that he wanted it to last. He wanted this new life more than anything, or as much as he could have. He knew that his parents were gone, and that his Godfather was on the run . . . but this was the next best thing. He was scared it would all be taken away. And because of that he found it hard to accept. The last time he dared hope for anything like this, it was taken away.

"Harry? You in there?" Ron asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah." Harry said.

Ron pushed open the door and looked at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked, wondering how he could know what he was thinking. Ron pointed to his side, were he was griping the sheets so tight his knuckles were white. For the first time he felt a dull ache from the cramps in his hand. He let go.

Ron came in and closed the door behind him. He set himself down next to Harry. He couldn't bring himself to look at Ron, and turned his attention to his hands, rubbing them.

"So, are you okay?" He asked again.

Harry sighed, and told him as much as he could. Once he was done he looked over to Ron.

"Well," Ron said, scratching his head. "I guess its all going to take a little getting use to." He said, not knowing what else to day.

"But that's it, I don't know if I can let myself get use to this. Is it all going to last? Is this even real? I still keep wondering if I am going to wake up any minute now."

Ron reached over and pinched Harry. He let out a small yelp and stared at him. "Well, you didn't wake up, did you?"

"No." Harry said, looking down at the floor.

"Look, Harry I don't know what is going on any more than you do, but there is one thing you should keep in mind . . ."

"And that is?"

"Enjoy it. If this ends in an hour or a year you will be kicking yourself. I don't know what all your Aunt and Uncle do to you here -" Ron said, with a slightly hurt look. Harry noticed it and sighed sadly. He had not told Ron everything. He just couldn't bring himself to share. "- But I do know you deserve this. And I had any say so they would act civil for now on."

Harry smiled faintly.

"Okay, with that said, you had better come down. Your Aunt is dishing out ice cream." Ron said with a grin.

"Ice cream? Its not noon yet, and I don't think I got room from breakfast!" Harry said with a laugh.

"I'm sure you will find some room."

True to Ron's word Harry did make room. It was the first time he had ever had chocolate ice cream, and he loved it. He loved the nuts on top, and even the whipping cream, which she made up fresh for everyone.

"Do you think they would adopt one more?" Ron whispered in Harry's ear, making sure his mum didn't over hear. Harry couldn't help laughing.

Harry realized it was the first time he was really happy in the Dursleys house, truly happy, and smiled. He looked over to his aunt, and she noticed his gaze. "Do you want any more?" She asked without thinking.

He shook his head, "No, but thank you. Thank you for everything." He knew he couldn't even try to explain himself, and knew she wouldn't even understand if he tried. Ron was right, he should enjoy it.

_This is part three of five. 'Part four - Dinner with Harry, the Dursley's, the Weasley's, Sniffles, and Dumbledore . . . Oh my!' coming very soon. This is my first Potter fic, please PLEASE let me know what you think!_

   [1]: mailto:Gemma_@SoftHome.net
   [2]: http://www2.famvid.com/klerner/



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